The novel follows on directly from the author’s Protector which saw Greek victory in the Persian Wars and focussed on the Athenian leaders Aristides and Xanthippus, and the Spartan general Pausanias. That novel opened in the middle of the battle of Salamis and closed shortly after the Spartan victory at Plataea.

Lion covers the ten or so years following the withdrawal of the Persians from Greece. Its heroes are the young Athenian general Cimon and Xanthippus’ son Pericles, beginning to make his way in public life. It is a well written, generally exciting adventure story, achieved without major insult to the historical record.

I am conscious that the above paragraph reads like faint praise. The truth is that, despite its readability, I have problems with the plot and characterisation. First, the clear and obvious hero of the book is Cimon, who steals every scene in which he appears. Pericles pales into insignificance in his presence. The story flags when Cimon is not present. Second, Pericles himself comes over as shallow and impetuous, nothing like how I might envisage the historical figure. True, he is young and inexperienced, but Cimon although not much older is a successful leader of men. Then there are the cardboard cut-out villains, Attikos (fictional) and Ephialtes (historical). Finally there is the entirely implausible love affair and marriage of Pericles to the unsuitable Thetis, the captive concubine of a pirate from Scyros. I just cannot conceive that this could possibly have occurred in the Athens of the aristocratic Pericles.

It is a fact that there are very few successful novels about the great age of democratic Athens. Someday someone will do Cimon justice. Pericles the Athenian by Rex Warner is very good in a rather intellectual way. The best existing novels are about the years of Athens’ defeat in the Peloponnesian War, Mary Renault’s The Last of the Wine and Stephanie Plowman’s Road to Sardis, Tom Holt’s The Walled Orchard. The author’s attempt is not entirely unsuccessful, but I suspect the target audience does not include a curmudgeon like me.

The test of a book in a series is whether I would read the next. In this case, I probably would.

I do enjoy the way Conn Iggulden writes and this is no different. He has taken a difficult subject and a huge cast of characters and drawn together a narrative with real force.

I don't think this has the continuous pace that other books of his do. They are times when the narrative seems slow. Overall though it is still agreat read

I'm always fascinated by Conn Iggulden's stories and this one is gripping and fascinating.
Pericles is one of my favorite historical characters and this fast paced book re-imagine his early life.
The characters and the historical background are well developed and I thoroughly enjoyed this book.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this ARC, all opinions are mine

The book was fairly fast paced, it showed a good understanding of the history of Greece, Sparta, and Persia and the battles that raged through the years.
Lots of good characters that bound the story together well.
Quite an easy read and easy to get engrossed in the story.

Conn Iggulden has written yet another book following the fortunes of soldiers during combat int he Ancient World. If you are a fan then Lion will be to your liking. Lion follows Pericles as he learns the art of warfare and leadership at the very beginnings of his 'legend'. Strife amongst the rank and file adds intrigue and Pericles chosen wife adds some spice to the proceedings. However, after recently reading a glut of other Greek historical fiction I feel that this is perhaps too focussed on the strategy and military precision to really capture the reader and 'compel you to care for the men at war.

I'm a big fan of Conn Iggulden but seem to have a blind spot with the last two Athenian novels (loved The Gates of Athens). I've read the first quarter and the characters feel flat and the dialogue leaden. Pericles spends all his time wondering why his daddy doesn't love him and why he isn't one of the cool kids like Cimon. Like the Spartans, I wish there was less speechifying and more getting on with the story. DNF

Conn Iggulden takes us back to the 5th BC and the start of an epic saga between Greece and Persia.
Once again this is the beginning of another epic in historical fiction by the writer who has established himself as the master of the genre.
I am a big fan of this author, as he has previous form of the great knack to draw the reader into the period and to entice them with a great story.
Having said that, there is now a tendency to 'pad out' these tomes and to over-elaborate, which lead to lengthy passages of tedium and thumb-twiddling while we wait for the next sequence of action to spark. I found this, too, with the author's Athenian series, and I am beginning to think this is a deliberate policy now to stretch a story out, as far as it will go, to milk the proverbial cash cow over a few books when one true EPIC of a book would suffice. If this is not the case, then please start editing these stories and cut out the tedium.
I will not be getting the next one in this series as it was a real effort at times to wade through the tedium in this one, but BIG THANKS anyway for the advance copy.

I’ve been following The Athenian series since book one, but admit this is my favourite. The Lion is more character-centred, with a steadier pace which was more engaging. I was grounded in ancient Athens in a way I lacked previously and the result was a gripping read.

There is still some dual narration occurring, but The Lion primarily follows one character: Pericles. We’ve met him as a child, son of the great Xanthippus. But Pericles is grown now, a warrior in his own right determined to prove his worth – to his father, his friends, but especially to himself.

Pericles is a strong main character. He has strengths and weaknesses, but is a good man determined to prove his worth. He has a strong legacy to live up to due to his father’s actions but fighting is in his blood. Even after an opportunity to settle down to married life, he can’t resist the call to stand by his friends against impossible odds.

There’s a passing of a generation this this. Xanthippus’ time is done, and while Themistocles is still as cunning as ever, he knows this is no longer his battle. The younger men are proving they can handle the burden. Sticking with Pericles rather than a constant shift of characters means you get to know and like him – a major point lacking from the first books.

While there’s still the divide between the fighting and a more peaceful life, the pacing and tension is smoother this time. The war is interweaved throughout the book as a whole, always there in the background. There is also less politics and backstabbing – one of the reasons I struggled to connect to the characters previously. It did lean towards in that direction towards the end, but I’m hoping it’s a ploy. It will be frustrating to have a repeat of prior storylines.

The battles are set far from home this time. While this is by no means a ‘light’ story, it’s also not as dark as the previous two. Not witnessing the heartbreak of seeing your home, your city, fall to invaders knowing it’s going to be impossible to keep them out, changes the tone. The Athenians are taking the fight to them, and it changes the mood. There’s an undercurrent of hope and determination, rather than the helplessness prevalent beforehand.

Whether it’s due to getting to know the characters, the smoother pacing or just fewer confusing jumps between the narrators, I really enjoyed The Lion. It offers an insight into life as an Athenian at that time: not just war, but the more pleasurable aspects of life; friendships, laughter, the fun of putting on a new play and seeing a society coming together, united under a cause.

A strong third book in an engaging series. Iggulden’s writing goes from strength to strength and I’m looking forward to seeing where the story arc for young Pericles and his friends goes in the next book. A good series for anyone interested in ancient Athens.

Conn Iggulden takes us back to the 5th BC
and the start of an epic saga between Greece and Persia.
Both sides are spoiling for war and it’s the perfect time for a hero. Pericles. A young man who lead from the front. A man who sees in the value in peace however knows war is inevitable. He must become someone that makes his enemy tremble with fear. He must become the Lion of Athens.
Once again another masterclass in historical fiction by the man who sets the bar. A complex story that flows effortlessly. The author has the knack to draw the reader into the period and to entice them with a great story. Another five star book by one best in the business. Superb.

I have been an avid Conn Iggulden reader for many years, working through most of his books and topical series. The Lion yet again shows the dynamic, keeps you anticipating more and informative research has been used to paint a picture for the reader. It felt like I was living the atmosphere and environment through the descriptive words and scene setting. Appreciating that the world of ancient Greece is long past, I always find that the author keeps closely to the known history with the artistic embellishment allowed for a Historical Fiction work.

Splitting the book into 3 parts, my reflection on the first and third parts is very positive, indeed it led me to go off and do some wider reading due to the interest it gave. The middle third felt a little too heavy on the topics cover, the plays, the home life and culture were interesting but a little too long for me (maybe its because I like the action and pace of the other areas too much). But in fairness this is a minor point and I understand the need to cover this area for the sake of completeness.

Very much looking forward to the next book and to more from Conn Iggulden, a master of bringing history to life in our modern world.

There is no denying that I love Conn Iggulden books.
He has such a way to bring history to life in ever novel he writes.

We are in the third series that follows Pericles the son of Xanthippus, whilst we van only imagine the early life of Pericles and everything that he went through.
Iggulden has yet again introduced use to more history including people that have fought at Marathon, Salamis and Thermopylae.
The author always brings so much more to the history of his books.
I wish he was my history teacher/professor.

A pulsating novel full of bloody battles well drawn characters and political machinations, unputdownable epic of a novel.
I received this book from Penquin Random House via Netgalley for a review.

Conn really does write an epic tale. This isn’t a lighthearted or pick up and put down, you need to invest some time on each sitting otherwise I think you would lose the plot.

I’ve read one of this other books, so I knew what I was getting into, and once again he really does transport you straight into Ancient Greece - I felt every moment of this book.

He really has knocked it out of the park again!

My thanks to Netgalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for the advance copy in exchange for an honest review

Another episode in this series of wars between Greece and Persia this time the friendship of Pericles and Cimon is to the fore. Details of Pericles home life and marriage are cleverly woven into the story but the glory of the tale is its description of the politics of the time in Greece and briefly Sparta. The battle scenes as ever with this author are brilliantly and graphically told all coming together in another epic tale that continues to whet the appetite for more.

You already know what I'm going to say about this one. Conn Iggulden can't seem to put a foot wrong when it comes to historical fiction. There's always excellent writing, plenty of action, fascinating characters, scene setting that's out of this world, and a quick sand plots that drag you right down into the stories. "Lion" has it all, plus a bit extra. You'll have to read it to find out what the "extra" is!

My thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley. This review was written voluntarily and is entirely my own, unbiased, opinion.

Pericles’ friend Cimon leads the fleet to protect the seas from the Persians. History is brought to life to great effect. Political decisions, battles and heroes.

Great characters and storyline that brings this time in history to life. Enjoy the ride.

As always Colin Iggulden brings to life history with great characterisation and a sense of scale.

In more ways than one this is truly epic. It brings to life the rivalries between the Greeks and the enormity of their victories against the Persians.

There are a lot of characters and it is one of those novels where you wish you had a paper copy so you could whizz backwards and forwards looking things up.

I loved this book. Another great story based on history by Conn Iggulden. The mix of historical characters and fictional characters is fantastic and I feel that you really get a sense of the times through this story.

Another great read from Conn sees the Athenian navy set out to pursue the Persian forces to stop them from regrouping and building up for another attack on Greece.
Lots of action and intrigue sets the scene for the final book in the series. 
I can't wait.
Thank you to NetGalley and Michael Joseph, Penguin Random House for my e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

Conn Iggulden remains one of my five favourite authors and I get really excited when he publishes a new book. This novel is a smooth transition from his previous series about the war between the Greeks and the Persians and has a number of the previous key players.

There are a number of new characters that remained on the periphery of the main story and whom we learn little about by the end of the book. Perhaps we shall know more about them as the series develops. Pericles, the main protagonist is shown as a complex character who has a number of interesting personality flaws. I found it extraordinary that a toughened warrior could also be so enthralled and engaged by the Greek theatre.

Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy this book as much as I have all the other Iggulden books. It took a long while to get me totally absorbed in the plot and the machinations of the Athenian polticians. The battle scenes, as always, are gripping and enjoyably bloody!

I hope the next episode in the series is not quite so slow.